THE BEST OF SPAIN

DAY 1 MADRID

Transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

DAY 2 MADRID

Breakfast, dinner and overnight at hotel. Morning guided city tour, we will visit panoramically some of its main avenues and monumental fountains (Cibeles, Neptuno), as well as the famous and busy “Plaza Mayor” (main square) and old town, visiting inside the Prado Museum, probably the best collection of classic painters of the world. Rest of day at leisure.

DAY 3 MADRID-CORDOBA-SEVILLE

Breakfast at hotel. Departure along the flat region ‘La Mancha’, Don Quixote’s scenario. CORDOBA During the Roman age, this city was important, but during the Moslem domination it reached the maximum splendor,specially in the IX and Xth centuries, when Cordoba became the capital of the Caliphate, was the most populated town in the world (almost 1 million). Afternoon guided city tour, to visit the Mosque, considered one the most beautiful. Then, a walk around the Jewish Quarter, with its narrow streets and Andalusia “patios”, and finishing with a visit of the Synagogue. SEVILLE Dinner and overnight at hotel.

DAY 4 SEVILLE

Breakfast, dinner and overnight at hotel. Morning guided tour to visit inside the Gothic Cathedral, the largest in Spain and third in the world, with the Giralda tower (striking minaret of the former mosque). Then a walk by Santa Cruz Quarter, a maze of small alleys and small squares with the peacefulness of a tiny garden is an invitation to rest. Afternoon at leisure.

DAY 5 SEVILLE-GRANADA

Breakfast at hotel. GRANADA Afternoon guided city tour, to visit La Alhambra, the best example of the sophisticated Royal life in the Nazari Islamic kingdom from XI to XV th century. We will find numerous halls and “patios” (courtyards) of amazing beauty. We will also visit the famous and beautiful Generalife gardens with its fountains. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

DAY 6 GRANADA-VALENCIA

Breakfast at hotel. We suggest some more time to walk in its charming streets. VALENCIA (530 kms, about 6 hrs 30) Located in a fertile terrain and with a soft Mediterranean weather, it is surrounded by a rich orchard (its oranges are famous worldwide) and full of splendid public gardens. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

DAY 7 VALENCIA-BARCELONA

Breakfast at hotel. Morning guided city tour, we will visit its Gothic cathedral, , where the bell tower called ‘Micalet’ is the symbol of the town. La Lonja (XVth exchange market ) and the old market are also very singular. We will also see the architecture of Santiago Calatrava , Ciudad de Las Artes y las Ciencias (city of Sciences and Arts). Afternoon departure to BARCELONA Dinner and overnight at hotel.

DAY 8 BARCELONA

Breakfast, dinner and overnight at hotel. In the morning, guided tour to familiarize yourself with the town, walking for the Gothic quarter full of buildings of the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, and visit inside the Cathedral. Followed by a visit of the district ‘Eixample’, where there are the main modernist buildings and the famous Sagrada Familia. To complete the tour, walking trough the famous “Ramblas”, a street full of life, bars, cafes, restaurants and street performers. Rest of day at leisure.

DAY 9 BARCELONA-ZARAGOZA-MADRID

Breakfast at hotel. ZARAGOZA Stop for walk in the Pilar Square, where the local citizens congregate for important events, and where there are the main monuments: Pilar Basilic, Seo, XVIth cent. Lonja (old market),… (it is possible, and we suggest it, to include a guided city tour) MADRID Dinner and overnight at hotel.

DAY 10 MADRID

Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to the airport.

– Other itinerary suggestion: This itinerary could be available with slight modifications with arrival and departure from Barcelona.